MURIC Calls for Probe Into Alleged Persecution of Muslim Students in Ekiti
The Muslim rights group reacts to allegations by the League of Imams and Alfas that female Muslim students are being denied hijab and Muslim pupils allegedly made to take Christian Religious Knowledge in public schools.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Ekiti State Government to investigate allegations that Muslim students in public schools are being denied the use of hijab and that students who registered for Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) are being made to take Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK).
The allegations were raised by the League of Imams and Alfas in Ekiti State at its monthly meeting held at the Central Mosque, Iyin-Ekiti, on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Reacting on Monday, September 28, MURIC Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, described the allegations as serious and concerning, saying they raised fundamental questions about the treatment of Muslim students and the protection of their religious rights within the state’s education system.
“These are provocative infringements on Allah-given fundamental human rights of minors,” Akintola said, while calling on the state government to investigate the allegations and make amends where necessary.
He questioned how Muslim female students could allegedly be denied the use of hijab in public schools in an era when Muslim women and girls observe the practice in schools and public institutions in major cities around the world.
Akintola also challenged what he described as a contradiction between the alleged treatment of Muslim students and claims of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in Yorubaland.
“Where is the tolerance now? Where is mutual understanding and reciprocal respect?” he asked.
MURIC further accused education authorities in Ekiti of allegedly imposing CRK on Muslim students who had registered for IRK, describing the alleged practice as religiously discriminatory and calling for its immediate investigation.
Akintola said the complaints should be viewed within the broader context of previous disputes involving Muslims in the state, arguing that the latest allegations had added to longstanding concerns over religious freedom and the treatment of Muslim communities.
He recalled an incident in Ikun community, Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State, where Muslims and traditionalists clashed during a dispute involving the Muslim call to prayer, or adhan. According to MURIC, the imam sustained a head injury while the mosque was vandalised.
He also referred to an earlier dispute over the proposed demolition of four mosques during the administration of former Governor Ayo Fayose, saying quick intervention prevented their demolition at the time.
MURIC further cited the demolition of Sabo Central Mosque in Aramoko-Ekiti in April 2025 as another incident it considered relevant to its concerns about the treatment of Muslims in the state.
The organisation said the accumulation of such incidents required the Ekiti State Government to act before tensions were allowed to deepen.
MURIC specifically urged the government to investigate the allegations made by the League of Imams and take corrective measures where the claims are established.
Akintola also invoked Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion. He argued that the constitutional protection extends to the religious identity and practices of Muslim children and said education authorities should not compel Muslim students to receive religious instruction belonging to another faith.
“The use of hijab by female Muslims whether in schools or offices is already a bygone conclusion,” he said, urging the state authorities to respect what he described as the constitutional rights of Muslim students.
He further argued that the alleged imposition of CRK on students registered for IRK was inconsistent with the constitutional protection of religious freedom.
He warned that continued unresolved grievances could further strain relations within communities and called on the authorities to address the allegations through investigation and dialogue.
The organisation’s intervention comes as Muslim leaders continue to press for greater attention to Islamic and Arabic education in Ekiti. MURIC said the state’s education authorities should ensure that Muslim students are able to receive appropriate Islamic instruction while observing their religious practices.
The group also urged Muslim leaders and the state government to approach the matter through dialogue and lawful institutional channels rather than allowing grievances to develop into wider religious tension.
Akintola said MURIC remained committed to defending what it described as the rights of Muslims in the state, while urging the authorities to act before existing grievances became more difficult to resolve.
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